California became the first US state to ban school districts from requiring staff to inform parents of children’s gender transitions, under a law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The the law prohibits school rules requiring teachers and other staff to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to any other person without the child’s permission. Supporters of the law say it will help protect LGBTQ students who live in unwelcoming homes. But opponents say it would prevent schools from being more transparent with parents.
The legislation comes amid a national debate over the rights of local school districts and parents and LGBTQ students.
“This legislation helps keep children safe while protecting the critical role of parents,” Newsom spokesman Brandon Richards said. “It protects child-parent relationships by preventing politicians and school officials from intruding inappropriately into family matters and trying to control whether, when, and how families have deeply personal conversations.”
The new law comes after several California school districts adopted policies requiring parents to be notified if a child is asked to change their gender identity. It caused this A push by Democratic state officialswho said that students have the right to privacy.
But Jonathan Zachreson, a so-called supportive attorney in California parental notification policiesopposed the law, saying that informing parents of a student’s request to change their gender identity is “critical to the well-being of children and to maintaining that trust between schools and parents.”
States within the country have attempted this prohibiting gender-affirming carebar transgender athletes requiring girls’ and women’s sports and schools to release trans and non-binary students to their parents. In other states, some lawmakers have introduced bills broad language that requires explaining to parents any change in their child’s emotional health or well-being.
The California law has sparked heated debate in the state legislature. LGBTQ lawmakers advocated that transgender students be able to share this part of their identity on their own terms, sharing stories about the difficulty of deciding when to come out to their families. State Assemblyman Bill Essay, a Republican who represents Riverside County, is an outspoken opponent of the law. He criticized Democratic leaders for blocking a hearing on a bill he introduced last year that would have required parents to inform parents of their child’s gender identity change.
In Northern California, the Anderson Union High School District board approved a parent notification policy last year. But while the teachers union is embroiled in a labor dispute with the district over the policy, it has advised teachers not to enforce the rule, said Shaye Stephens, an English teacher in the district and president of the teachers association.
Stevens said the notification policies put teachers in an unfair position.
“It’s kind of a lose-lose situation for teachers and administrators or whoever is required to do this. I don’t think it’s safe for the students,” he said. “I don’t think we’re the right people to be having these conversations with a parent or guardian.”